“Before the oil and gas industry took off in south east New Mexico, the fire department would get 80 to new applications. But once oil and gas started to boom, Graham says it cut the number of applications the fire department saw in half,” Graham said.

Graham admitted the declining number of applicants coupled with firefighters leaving for more lucrative jobs has hurt the department's staffing numbers.

Some ended up working in the oil fields, but with the economic climate shifting, Graham expects his department to make a comeback.

“I think we will start to see a slight return in the number of applicants in the employee pool to draw from,” Graham said.